Rod Norman
Roderick "Rod" Norman was the roadie, punk friend of Mary Smith, who struggled to settle down in Albert Square. Rod first moved to the Square in July 1987 after befriending Mary. Upon learning more about her and her troubles, Rod decided to help Mary get her life back on track. The pair formed a relationship in the process of rebuilding her life, but by May 1988 Rod felt he could no longer continue supporting Mary when their relationship broke down and she began using drugs. In August 1988, Rod was roped in by Brad Williams, a member of The Firm, to set-up Den Watts and get him sent to prison. At around the same time, he formed a friendship with local resident Donna Ludlow. Donna was struggling with homelessness and drug addiction at the time he befriended her, and while he was determined to help her get her life back on track, he eventually felt that he could no longer support her when she would not listen to him, and temporarily went away with a band for work. By the time Rod returned, Donna had overdosed and died. He blamed himself for her death. By late 1989, Rod had formed a new friendship with a woman named Hazel. The pair began dating each other and enjoyed one another's company, but by January 1990, they had split up. Rod ultimately decided to leave Walford and go travelling following Hazel's departure. Biography 1987-1988: Relationship with Mary Smith Rod first befriended punk girl Mary Smith in July 1987. Mary took Rod back to her flat and the pair began to get to know each other better. Rod learnt that Mary was a single mother to her young daughter, Annie Smith, and that she had recently lost her daughter to her parents because of her reckless behaviour. Rod vowed to help Mary get her life back on track and firstly moved into her flat with her. He then got her a job at The Dagmar, helped wean her off drugs and stopped her prostituting herself any further. After a few months, Mary felt ready to take Annie back, although her mother, Edie Smith, wanted to take her through court before giving her Annie back. Mary got depressed and Rod helped her through her emotional period. Mary eventually got Annie back and the trio began living together as a family. However, Mary and Rod's relationship took a tumble in March 1988 when Rod forgot to pick Annie up from nursery. Mary was furious with Rod for what he had done and overreacted, throwing him out of her flat. Rod was furious with Mary for publicly humiliating him and left on a spontaneous trip for a few weeks, giving Mary time to think about her actions. By the time he had returned, Mary was apologetic, but Rod was not forgiving. He told her he had a new girlfriend and moved into a squat on the Square. He grew concerned for Mary after learning she had began taking drugs again, but was unable to discontinue her use of them. Mary then left Walford in May 1988, leaving Rod behind. 1988-1990: Donna Ludlow, Hazel and travelling Rod continued to live on Albert Square following Mary's departure, and a few months later formed a friendship with local resident Donna Ludlow, who had become homeless. Donna moved into the squat with Rod, and after he saw the mess she had gotten herself into, he tried to help her get her life back on track. However, Donna was resistant to Rod's attempts at helping her, and was later furious with him when he stopped her getting a job with Ian Beale by telling him that she was a drug addict. By February 1989, Rod had exhausted his attempts at getting Donna's life back on track, so he phoned her adoptive parents before leaving for another roadie job. He returned a few months later and was devastated to hear that Donna had died from an overdose. He initially blamed himself for her death, before later coming to terms with the reality that she was unable to ever be helped. He began lodging with Dot Cotton following Donna's death, and met a woman, Hazel, months later. Hazel was Nick Cotton's girlfriend, but after he brutally beat her up, Rod took her on and looked after her. The pair began a relationship, and by January 1990 they had decided to move out of Dot's house and into former resident Colin Russell's flat. The move proved to be a turning point in their relationship though, as Hazel and Rod began to disagree with each other more frequently and would commonly argue over trivial matters. Hazel then fled the Square after an argument over the pair's future travelling plans, before returning in February with a friend, Spyder, to inform Rod that they were exploring the world and wanted him to come. Rod was initially unsure about what to do, but quickly realised that travelling was where his heart lay. He booked a flight to India and left on the same day, giving his friend, Vince Johnson, a goodbye note to give to Dot. First and last lines "Hang about, it's a free country innit?" (First line) --- "I told you, I've been to Africa ain't I, had all my jabs there. Look, will you do me a favour and, err, pass that onto Dot for me? But leave it 'til tonight, yeah? I'll be long gone by then." (Final line, to Vince Johnson) See also *Full list of appearances Category:EastEnders characters Category:1987 debuts Category:1990 departures Category:Residents of 3C Albert Square Category:Residents of 5 Albert Square Category:Residents of 23B Albert Square Category:Residents of 25 Albert Square Category:Market traders Category:Bridge Street Café staff